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A Tee Ball trademark was registered with the United States government by Dayton Hobbs[1] in the early 1970s, but the game's origins date back to at least the 1940s and 50s with several people claiming to be the father of the game. Claude Lewis, director of the Warner Robins, Georgia Recreation Department, formed a tee-ball league in March 1958. 20 children played the first year. Lewis designed rules for the new game and mailed the rule books out to rec departments all over the country and overseas.

Albion, Michigan claims to be the place of invention for the sport in 1956,[2] though Starkville, Mississippi makes a similar claim that Tee Ball was invented in their town in 1961. According to the Starkville Rotary Club's website: "In 1961, when it was apparent that younger children needed some way to participate in the program, Rotarians Dr. Clyde Muse and W. W. Littlejohn devised the game of T-Ball and added it to the summer baseball program."[3] Dr. Hobbs has credited the United States Navy with spreading the game overseas. U.S. presidents since Ronald Reagan have hosted T-Ball games on the South Lawn of the White House.

So the good friend of BO Sr. finally sees little BO at a T-Ball game, a couple of years after BO Sr. goes back to Kenya. Wonder if he sat in the bleachers with and made friends with little BO's new stepdad, too. Maybe they talked about how little Barry may not get to finish the season, due to his upcoming move to Jakarta. Or would that have already happened??

Tangled webs are sticky little things.

Yes, I'm aware that T Ball had been "invented" I just don't think it was very popular. I grew up during the same time frame (about 5-6 years earlier) and I never saw or heard of T ball. We played little league from about 6 on and if we couldn't hit the ball, well we were out!

When my kids started in the mid eighties by then T ball had emerged and I remember thinking why not just let them pay baseball? Anyway, I doubt the story is true since Little Barry was in Indonesia from 6-10 anyway.